Morphomechanical Innovation Drives Explosive Seed Dispersal

Hofhuis, H; Moulton, D; Lessinnes, T; Routier-Kierzkowska, A L; Bomphrey, R J; Mosca, G; Reinhardt, R; Sarchet, P; Gan, X; Tsiantis, M; Ventikos, Y; Walker, S; Goriely, A; Smith, R; Hay, A

doi:10.1016/j.cell.2016.05.002

Morphomechanical Innovation Drives Explosive Seed Dispersal

Hofhuis, H; Moulton, D; Lessinnes, T; Routier-Kierzkowska, A L; Bomphrey, R J; Mosca, G; Reinhardt, R; Sarchet, P; Gan, X; Tsiantis, M; Ventikos, Y; Walker, S; Goriely, A; Smith, R; Hay, A

Authors

H Hofhuis

D Moulton

T Lessinnes

A L Routier-Kierzkowska

R J Bomphrey

G Mosca

R Reinhardt

P Sarchet

X Gan

M Tsiantis

Y Ventikos

S Walker

A Goriely

R Smith

A Hay

Abstract

How mechanical and biological processes are coordinated across cells, tissues, and organs to produce complex traits is a key question in biology. Cardamine hirsuta, a relative of Arabidopsis thaliana, uses an explosive mechanism to disperse its seeds. We show that this trait evolved through morphomechanical innovations at different spatial scales. At the organ scale, tension within the fruit wall generates the elastic energy required for explosion. This tension is produced by differential contraction of fruit wall tissues through an active mechanism involving turgor pressure, cell geometry, and wall properties of the epidermis. Explosive release of this tension is controlled at the cellular scale by asymmetric lignin deposition within endocarp b cells—a striking pattern that is strictly associated with explosive pod shatter across the Brassicaceae plant family. By bridging these different scales, we present an integrated mechanism for explosive seed dispersal that links evolutionary novelty with complex trait innovation.

Citation

Hofhuis, H., Moulton, D., Lessinnes, T., Routier-Kierzkowska, A. L., Bomphrey, R. J., Mosca, G., Reinhardt, R., Sarchet, P., Gan, X., Tsiantis, M., Ventikos, Y., Walker, S., Goriely, A., Smith, R., & Hay, A. (2016). Morphomechanical Innovation Drives Explosive Seed Dispersal. Cell, 166, 222-233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2016.05.002

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Apr 15, 2016
Publication Date	Jun 2, 2016
Deposit Date	Jun 4, 2016
Publicly Available Date	Jun 4, 2016
Journal	Cell
Print ISSN	0092-8674
Electronic ISSN	1097-4172
Publisher	Elsevier
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	166
Pages	222-233
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2016.05.002
Public URL	https://rvc-repository.worktribe.com/output/1396623